The Twelfth Man 2015

11 I am staggered to think he only played in 22 Test Matches. There is not a shadow of doubt that he was a world-class all- rounder, in the same mould as Garry Sobers, yet England’s selectors seemed unable to realise what a treasure he was. Then when we see what sort of teams are chosen today – oh dear! Brian was quite clear in his preference for the traditional form of the game, but I have no doubt he would relish getting involved in the 50-overs game and how England could do with a world-class all-rounder, and what a great captain he would have been in that format. Cricket is the game Brian Close’s name will always be associated with, but quite apart from golf, at which he soon gained a marvellous reputation, had he been playing in earlier times, I wonder just how far he could have gone playing football? Signed by Arsenal in 1951, there is little doubt had he been given encouragement by Yorkshire he would have joined the Compton brothers in the first team. As it was, he left Highbury and joined Bradford City. Playing in the forwards he was scoring goals for the first team, before a serious injury in a match with Port Vale put him out, not just for the rest of the football season, but for the whole cricket season afterwards and this helped him decide to concentrate on the game he was to grace for so long. We spent a very happy time with him and he gave straight answers to everything we asked. When hesitantly I asked about his famous love of cigarettes, laughing, he told me: “Started when I was 16, now I’m turned 80, not likely to give up, although I would advise youngsters not to start”. Standing at his front door he waved us off, before returning, I bet, to sort out a few ‘winners’. * We visited Brian on 21 January 2014 and that was a truly significant date, for 'young' Graham Stevenson died that day. We knew he was gravely ill, indeed efforts to arrange a visit before Christmas failed, for sadly, this great sportsman had been in Pinderfields Hospital with only family and Geoffrey [Boycott] allowed visiting. Brian and his teammates celebrate Yorkshire’s 1963 Championship triumph. Three Brians and a Hazell – Wombwell’s Brian Sanderson (far left), Brian Workman and Norman Hazell (right) with Brian Close and his dog, Jaspar, at Brian’s home in January 2014.